DAHLIA:
It did not register to me at first, but the second time someone had shouted, panic started to rise at the pit of my stomach.
“Run! The village is being attacked by rogues!”
I looked back at Lady Livia. There was no trace of fear on her face. I struggled internally what to do.
‘We can do this, Dahlia! Don’t be nervous. You can transform already! I’ve got you,’ Eva growled inside of me…
That’s right. I could transform at will now, right? I should be able to defend myself well…
Ah, but I have never really engaged in combat as a wolf before… Would I be able to survive this?
As if the blasted rogues could read what was on my mind, six of them appeared right in our midst.
I poised myself for an attack. I didn’t know what they wanted in the first place, but I wasn’t going to let them come near us when we were so far away from others to get help.
DAHLIA:I stared in awe at Tristan’s chest. Why was my mark still there?He was still pulling my hand against his chest. I fingered the mark and scratched it. It didn’t come off. I scratched harder.“It wouldn’t come off no matter what you do,” Tristan said, his breathing becoming heavier.I pulled my hand away from his grasp, but he resisted.“Don’t push me away, Dahlia… Just stay like this for a while. Just until you recuperate please...”I wanted to laugh. I was the injured one, but my rescuer was the one pleading for me to stay.My body wanted to succumb to him. I missed Tristan’s warmth. I miss his touches, and therefore, this closeness between us was too dangerous.I reminded myself that I was trying to stay away from him and not get pulled in by his seduction again. I spoke in a firmer manner.“No. Please let me go.”His face looked li
DAHLIA:A spirit stone – one of the most powerful and precious items in the world!Since the extinction of the Shadow Rune pack, people from every clan – Werewolves, Fairies, Vampires, Dragons, Witches and Warlocks, to name a few – had all gone crazy in search of spirit stones, the runes that contain the essence of power and existence of a Shadow Rune wolf.Spirit stones are used as core ingredients for different kinds of spells, and even the mere possession of it was said to give power beyond compare to its owner.I could just imagine how Tristan and Livia, the last remaining Shadow Rune wolves, and no doubt both possessing spirit stones inside their bodies, would be in grave danger should anyone find out about their secret in Dalrus...As magic advanced, detection devices that could give away the presence of spirit stones had also been made over the years, creating a never ending quest for the remains of Shadow wolves and the ru
TRISTAN:I was right. That was the last time I would see Dahlia…Sir Casior tapped my shoulder in a sorrowful way as we walked towards the city proper of Payn.“She is your wife, I suppose? Congratulations on your wedding,” he said with an empathic smile.I know he was Livia’s friend, but possibly he was more than a friend. He was also someone who knew me as a child back when the Apricus Kingdom and the Shadow Rune Pack maintained a close friendship. Yet, I still have not gotten used to this vampire’s familiar and friendly demeanor…I really wished vampires would age a bit so that it would never get this awkward when talking to him…“It’s a long story, but we’re not together anymore,” I said.“You’ll get back together, don’t worry.”I raised my eyebrows at Sir Casior. “How did you know?” Does he have the power to tell the fu
TRISTAN:Albus and Arthur were too damn excited to come out that it was taking all of my will to keep them at bay.I only got to touch Dahlia’s fully clothed frame around her waist and leg like this, and my whole body was instantly sent into a wild frenzy of desire.She was too damn beautiful! How did I resist not seeing her for more than two weeks?...Dahlia pushed herself away from my embrace and squeezed herself to my right side. I moved involuntarily and let her seat beside me.I did not hate being near her, but I tried to sit further away since my body was getting excited just by sitting so close to her like this...She did not seem affected by my presence at all, however. She looked absent-mindedly outside the carriage window.We stayed in silence thereafter.“That spirit stone… How will you recognize it if it were your mother’s,” Dahlia suddenly asked out of the blue.I looked at her
TRISTAN:The man before us held a rune detector – a magical wand that could sense the presence of spirit stones or the presence of a Shadow Rune wolf…As such, my eyes were fixated at the other end of the wand where a circular orb was attached. Once that orb starts to glow, it will give away my identity as a Shadow wolf.Almost instantly, Dahlia grabbed me by the hair and forced my head down towards her neck.Surprisingly, Dahlia didn’t move away like what she would have normally done out of embarrassment whenever we’d get intimate. Instead, she pushed her legs even closer towards me, further revealing her white thighs from under her skirt while still fondly cradling the back of my head in her hand.“Make it quick… We’re busy.”I involuntarily inhaled Dahlia’s smell of honey, milk, and cherries. It was so intoxicating that my hands clasped her tighter even without a second thought.
TRISTAN:Because of the sudden inspection, we were given a pass to rush inside the city gates of Dalrus.I looked absentmindedly at the throngs of carriages that were still being inspected as we rode towards the capital of Apricus, the vampire kingdom.A thousand thoughts filled my mind. Why were the city guards on full alert? Why were they looking for a Shadow wolf? Somehow, I can’t help but think that all of these occurrences must be connected with the vampire invasion Samalah and I have initially plotted.I looked back at the unexpected rogue invasion in Payn two days ago and the ambush attack on me from last time as well. I was sure that those two must have been mere coincidences. Was there someone sabotaging our plans against Count Jeteris?Either way, Count Jeteris must be found guilty. Twenty years of walking free and not getting punished were enough for him. This time, he must pay for his crimes dearly...As soon as we entered
DAHLIA:‘Calm your heart down, and breathe in smoothly… Don’t show your excitement. Don’t give in to your feelings,’ Eva reminded me inside our shared consciousness.I was deathly nervous from the very start. Can I really do this? Can I pretend to be intimate with Tristan and not get caught up with my own act?‘Of course you can,’ Eva said confidently. ‘I’ll help you out. Don’t worry about a thing!’Indeed, I’m glad. Eva and I are polar opposites when it comes to seduction. I don’t think I can ever keep everything away from the surface while she always can… I hope we really do succeed.As Tristan informed me of the plan further, I learned that the illegal auction will last the whole night, and the final item to be showcased would most likely be the spirit stone.“I don’t have any information on how many spirit stones they are going to show in th
DAHLIA:The auction house was very close to the inn that one just needed to walk towards it. The only problem for us was of course the guards that were scattered about with their rune detectors…I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror. I promised myself and Livia that I will make sure I’d do my best to make this mission a success. This means I had to make my scent more pronounced than Tristan’s and to do that, I had to wear a dress I would never wear ordinarily…I looked back at the red and black gown I had donned myself in. The neckline was cut at such a low angle that it’ll be too hard to move without giving away too much skin…‘You can cover it up with something else,’ Eva said, her face lighting up in excitement. She really liked showing off some skin. I just wanted to make sure Tristan and I make it out there alive…‘Ah, of course,’ I mumbled back, remembering what she